Jacob deGrom on Monday night put together his latest strong start in the 2021 MLB season.
deGrom went six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight in the New York Mets’ 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has lowered his ERA to an unbelievable 0.71 mark this season.
What’s wild is that deGrom has pitched as well as he has … without throwing curveballs!
In the sixth inning of his start against Arizona, deGrom dropped in a perfect curveball against Ketel Marte, which Marte took looking for a strike.
Jacob deGrom's 85mph Curveball. pic.twitter.com/AMCswRpcNB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2021
That was deGrom’s first curveball of the season.
The Mets ace actually has a very good curveball, he just rarely uses it because he doesn’t need to.
After Jacob deGrom threw his first curveball of the season, it's worth remembering something that Jeremy Hefner told me this spring.
Hefner says deGrom's curveball is elite. Like, one of the best curves in Major League Baseball. He simply doesn't need it, so he doesn't use it.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 1, 2021
deGrom is mostly a fastball/slider pitcher, with a changeup sprinkled in. He has decreased his curveball usage over the past three seasons and focused on his slider usage, yielding excellent results. But it’s nice to remind everyone that he has the curve in his arsenal whenever he needs it.
